Sub Club XXX: Domenic Cappello @ The Planetarium, Glasgow, 3 Jun

Live Review by Michael Lawson | 10 Jul 2017

With 30 years in the game, Sub Club has built an unrivalled reputation as being pioneers in electronic music. Their most recent foray, Sub Club at the Planetarium, is further evidence of this. The brainchild of Subculture resident Domenic Cappello (one half of Subbie's ever-present Harri & Domenic) and in collaboration with the club’s in-house record label Nautilus Rising, this event at the Glasgow Science Centre sees Cappello soundtrack a whistle-stop journey through the solar system and beyond.   

When doors open just after 9pm, the atmosphere is very relaxed. The Science Centre’s café has been turned into a makeshift bar and a handful of punters enjoy a beer whilst watching the sunset over the Clyde. Things are moved upstairs shortly after and the crowd are greeted by planetarium manager, Steve Owens, who receives cheers from the excitable crowd. ‘Alcohol enhances the experience, so you guys will be in for a treat’, he laughs.

Just after 10pm, the lights begin to dim, and all of a sudden the room becomes fully immersed in the night sky. The focus then moves onto the Earth, zooming in for intricate detail. Cappello pairs these visuals with an ambient soundtrack as the audience are eased in gently.                    

The ambience in the room continues for the first half of the show: Jupiter and Saturn’s rings are explored in detail, providing captivation and relaxation in equal measure. But all of a sudden the crowd are thrust into an asteroid shower; and the Drexciyan electro of Benjamin Milz’s Electric Current fills the room. The start of the shower coincides with the track’s first kick drum, as Cappello expertly compliments the increase in tempo illustrated by the visuals.

Moving into the latter stages, the mood becomes far more emotive as the theme of ‘journey’ is conveyed. Close-ups of a satellite are shown, before a few glimpses of Earth, millions of miles away in the background. The delicate piano keys of Robert Perry’s 5291989 close out proceedings in the most poignant way possible, as the visuals melt into nothingness and the crowd enthusiastically celebrate an immersive and wholly unique audio-visual experience.


Part of Sub Club XXX, Sub Club's 30th anniversary programme

http://subclub.co.uk